


The Mistake

by Gaygent37



Series: The Hunter & The Hunted [3]
Category: Batman - All Media Types, DCU
Genre: Aftercare, Amputation, Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Betrayal, Biting, Dirty Talk, Enemies and Lovers, Feelings Realization, Flirting, Fluff, Hand Jobs, Hurt/Comfort, Jason Todd Needs A Hug, Jason is hurting but Dick is too dumb to see, Kinda, Knotting, M/M, Marking, Morning After, Pining, Possessiveness, Prostate Massage, Psychopathology & Sociopathy, Sickfic, Snowballing, Teasing, Werewolf Hunter Dick, Werewolf Jason, Werewolf Transformation, Werewolves, almost
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-02
Updated: 2020-04-03
Packaged: 2021-02-28 22:34:46
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 10,677
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23414644
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gaygent37/pseuds/Gaygent37
Summary: Dick is feeling discouraged, and a fellow hunter shows up with the offer to help Dick kill his werewolf target.Dick takes the hunter to the mayor to ask whether or not the hunter could help, in hopes that the mayor would say no.But when has anything gone his way when it came to the mayor of the town?
Relationships: Dick Grayson/Jason Todd
Series: The Hunter & The Hunted [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1683880
Comments: 17
Kudos: 295





	1. The Team

Dick sat in this kitchen, the map of the town and miles of surrounding forest laid out in front of him. He sipped his coffee as he stared hard at it. 

The full moon was in a week and a half, and Dick still had no concrete plan, nor did he have much motivation to really think up one.

Since the epic failure of his last strategy, Dick had been feeling quite frustrated. He was a brilliant werewolf hunter, and never once had he ever failed at a job he was hired for. And yet...

Dick honestly had no idea why he was still in this town. Jason obviously had no ill will towards the townspeople themselves, and he was actually a really good mayor. From what information Dick had gathered, since Jason had taken up office, the town had seen many improvements. The townspeople were very grateful for him. Jason was actually a good guy, as much as it pained Dick to admit. 

And it was not like Dick really needed the money anymore. After the third month of failing, Jason had started paying for all his living expenses. It was absolutely infuriating, and the knowledge still drove Dick nuts. It was like Jason was so confident in himself that he could give Dick all the advantages and still win. And at the moment, that was what it seemed like.

Dick needed some sort of hope. Otherwise, he honestly should just gather up his pride, admit that Jason won, and quit. Find a new job somewhere else. People were always looking for werewolf exterminators after all. 

It was just... Dick could not do that. He was too proud of the legacy he had built. He could not admit defeat. That was the only thing keeping him going right now. 

Dick sighed, setting his coffee down and rubbing his eyes. He had been staring at the map for hours, but still came up with nothing. The deal he had struck with Jason was keeping his hands tied. Dick had been cocky too. He thought that even with the handicap of the deal, he could take down Jason. He was regretting it a lot now.

Suddenly, there was a knock on his door. 

Dick almost thought he misheard, but then there it was again. Someone was actually at his door. In the six and a half months that Dick had been staying in the town, he had gotten no visitors at all. No one knocked on his door. 

Dick stood quickly and rushed over. He opened it halfway and stood there, looking at the man on the other side. 

"Hello," Dick said slowly. "How can I help you?"

"Yer Dick Grayson?" the man asked. He held out his hand. "Ma name's Tom. Tom 'ankerfield."

"Hi," Dick said, still wary of the Tom. Tom carried a huge backpack on his back, and he looked tough. Still, he shook Tom's hand.

Tom stepped forward, walking into Dick's cabin without permission. "I 'eard rumors that the famous Dick Grayson was 'ere." Tom grinned, showing up a few missing teeth. "And 'ere you are. Pretty as they say you are."

"Here I am," Dick said uncomfortably. "I'm sorry, do I _know_ you?"

Tom slung his pack down onto the floor, and Dick grimaced at the cloud of dust that flew up. "I'm a fellow 'unter!" he said, opening his arms and suddenly hugging Dick. He clapped Dick on the back hard. "'eard ya been stuck in this blasted town for a while. Thought I'd... y'know. Lend a hand to the legend."

Dick coughed. Tom smelled like week-old boiled cabbages. He gave a weak smiled and extracted himself from Tom's arms. "I see," Dick said.

"So whadda ya say?" Tom asked. "Should we catch that sonnava bitch together? We can split the prize money 40-60."

Dick grimaced. "Ah, see, I don't-"

"30-70."

"No, Tom, the money's not the issue," Dick tried explaining. He had no idea how to explain his situation at all. "The... mayor's quite particular about just _me_ taking this case."

"Eh?" Tom asked. "Why's that?"

Dick shrugged. "If you wanna help, you'll have to go talk to him." Dick thought that would ward Tom off. 

Instead, Tom grinned. "Great. Let's go see the mayor!"

And that was how Dick ended up in Jason's office, nowhere near the full moon.

"Mr. Grayson. I see you've brought a friend," Jason said, raising an eyebrow at Tom, who was touching all the plaques and awards on Jason's wall with his grubby fingers. Dick could tell it bothered Jason, if the slight mouth twitch was anything to go by. It gave Dick the slightest bit of pleasure seeing Jason bothered, but it also bothered him that Tom was touching all of the shiny and pristine awards. "To what do I owe such a visit?"

"Tom? You want to explain what's going on?"

"Eh? Me?" Tom asked. "I'm not- I'm not very good... at talking with others."

Dick's eyes narrowed at Tom's stubbornly turned back. He huffed. "He's a hunter. He wants in on _my_ case." He gave the slightest emphasis, hoping that Jason would understand that Dick did not want him here. 

Either subtlety was lost on Jason, or he just thought it would be funny. Likely the latter. Jason answered, "Your case? It's a werewolf, Mr. Grayson. I'm sure it doesn't really matter _who_ shoots it, as long as its dead."

"Exactly!" Tom said, turning around so quickly that the shelf shook. Dick winced and waited for something to fall and break, but nothing did, thankfully. "I told ya, Dickie."

Jason's lips pressed into a hard line for a split second. Then, he smiled again. "I think it's a wonderful idea. Perhaps this will be the month."

"You _really_ think this is a good idea?" Dick asked, practically begging Jason to reconsider. It was not Jason who would suffer the consequences (well, maybe eventually). It was Dick who had to spend every waking moment with the disgusting man.

"Of course," Jason said, leaning back comfortably in his chair, smirking at Dick. "I'll even double the reward, so you each can get $5,000."

"Shit, really?!" Tom asked, grinning wide. "Now I see why you wanted this case to yourself, Dickie, you greedy bastard!" He clapped Dick on the back again, sending the slighter man rocking forward. He nearly broke his nose on Jason's name plaque.

Dick grimaced. "Yeah. Hey, Tom, why don't you wait outside. I'll have a quick word with Mr. Todd about where you'll be staying."

"I thought I was staying with you?" Tom said in confusion. 

"I only have one room," Dick said quickly.

"I don't see the prob-"

"I'm sure we can find a much nicer place for you, Mr. Haverfield," Jason cut in quickly, with the fakest smile Dick had ever seen pasted on his face.

"'ankerfield," Tom pointed out.

"Large bedroom with a luxurious bathroom with a large bathtub," Jason continued, ignoring the large hunter.

Tom scratched his head. "Well, if ya want, Mr. Mayor." Then, he finally left. 

Dick was on his feet in a second. He grabbed Jason by his tie and pulled him up as well. "What the fuck do you think you're doing?" he hissed. 

Jason just smirked. "It sounded like a fun challenge. And besides. Don't think I don't know you're getting discouraged."

"I don't _need_ help," Dick growled. "I'm doing _fine_. And if I did need help, I don't need _his_ help!" He jerked a thumb in the direction of the door.

"I agree he's not the best choice, but you can't exactly be picky, can you?" Jason asked. "Besides, he'll be gone after the full moon."

"If we fail? What if he decides to stay?" Dick snapped.

Jason shrugged. "We'll deal with that if it comes to it." He pried Dick's fingers from his shirt. "Just humor me, Dickiebird."

Dick glared at him harder, nearly going cross-eyed from how close they were. "I don't want to."

Jason smiled. "But you will," he said. Then, he kissed Dick gently, just a press of lips. 

Dick's sound of shocked protest was muffled. It was the first time Jason had made any move toward him outside of the full moon. And it made Dick feel weird inside. He did not like it at all. He pushed Jason away and wiped his lips on the back of his hand. 

Jason did not seem offended. He just smiled. "Out you go, Mr. Grayson," he said. "Your impromptu meeting has pushed my entire day's schedule back by half an hour. Shoo shoo now."

God that wolf was fucking enraging.

* * *

It turned out, Tom was actually a really good hunter. He knew his way around the weapons and was incredibly quick despite his size.

Dick was extremely reluctant to work with him at first, but after an hour of talking strategy, Dick managed to look past the BO and the vulgarity of the man. But then it started going downhill again, once Tom had had four beers.

"Traps don't work on him," Dick said. "I found that one out quite quickly. He anticipates traps."

"The _traditional_ traps don't work on 'im," Tom said with a grin. "'e's never run into _my_ traps before."

"Your traps?" Dick asked, not liking the cruel glint in Tom's eyes. 

Tom chuckled, taking a swig of his beer and wiping his mouth with his sleeve. "I've worked with a lotta talented 'unters, Dickie. This trap works like a charm, especially for the cocky lone fucktards."

"And this trap is?"

"Human bait."

" _Excuse me_ _?!_ " Dick asked, choking on his tea. It was Jason's favorite, seeing that it was all he drank, and he had taken to sending Dick a box of it every couple of weeks. And Dick was just... getting tired of water. "Did you say human bait? So- So you _kidnap_ innocents and put them in _danger?!"_

Tom laughed. "They won't be in danger! We'll be there."

"No," Dick said immediately. "I'm not putting anyone else in danger."

Tom frowned. "They won't even get 'urt! Just scared outta their wits, maybe, but it's the _fear_ that lures in those werewolves."

"Not this one," Dick said darkly. "We are not using some poor person as bait."

Tom glared at him. "You've never tried it. 'ow would you know?"

"I have basic human decency, Tom," Dick snapped.

"Well, I'm not going with another plan!" Tom said. "If ya wanna do things yer way, _fine_. I'll just kill this bitch myself."

Dick felt a shiver run down his back. He could not let that happen. He had to keep an eye on Tom at all times. "What if we use me as bait?" he asked.

Tom snorted. "Doesn't 'e know you're 'unting 'im already? That's pointless."

"It could work," Dick said. "He's trying to kill me too, after all."

Tom grumbled under his breath for a few seconds. "Fine. Yer pretty face can be the bait. I'll shoot 'im from the trees."

" _That's_ your plan?" Dick asked. It sounded incredibly stupid.

"Works every time," Tom grinned. 

Dick just stared at him. He sighed and sipped his tea. "Fine," he said, having given up hope for success that moth. He hoped Jason was happy with himself. It looked like it was going to be another easy win for him.

* * *

"It's fucking freezing," Dick shivered, his breath coming out in white puffs as he set up camp at the base of the tree. A few trees away, Tom perched in the shadows, with a dart gun. "I really don't know why we have to _practice,"_ he called out to Tom. 

Tom glared at him, his eyes predatory and hard. "Just shut up and do it," he snapped. 

"Easy for him to say," Dick grumbled. It was the night before the full moon, and he was in the forest, supposedly "practicing". Dick had no idea how, exactly, seeing that nothing was going to appear. So Dick just sit there, leaning against a tree with his own dart gun by his side. He did have a single silver bullet in his pocket, which he always carried before the full moon for good luck. It had never failed him before, until Jason, that is. Still, it was a source of comfort for Dick. 

Suddenly, there was movement in the darkness, behind Dick's tree. 

Dick froze, not daring to move. He look over at Tom, who was ten yard away. He could barely see the man, who was sitting still as a rock. There was another crackling of movement behind Dick's tree. Dick's hand moved to his dart gun, which would literally do nothing against anything larger than a squirrel. 

Before Dick could even move, something whizzed by him, hitting its target with a dull thump. Dick was on his feet in an instant, turning around the tree only to see a tiny brown rabbit, writhing on the ground, a bright red dart sticking out of it. 

Grimacing, Dick knelt and put it out of its misery. A few moments later, Tom came jogging over. 

"Did I get it?" he asked. 

"Yes, you did," Dick said. "But did you have to? The poor thing was just looking for food."

"Makes for good target practice," Tom said. "Unlucky little bugger," he laughed. 

Then, Dick felt a cold chill in the air, colder than the forest air. "That... wasn't a lucky shot?"

"Eh? Of course not," Tom said, taking the rabbit from Dick's hands. "I trained as a sniper for eight years before becoming an international 'itman, y'know? Quit after eight months though. 'ated contracts. Too _clean_. I wasn't allowed to let the targets suffer a bit. So I started shooting werewolves instead." He said, giving Dick a toothy smile. "What about you? 'ow'd you get into 'unting?"

Tom's words chilled Dick. He had a sick feeling he knew why Tom's stupid trap worked all the time now. It had nothing to do with the trap itself. It was just the fact that Tom was an incredible shot. And he was a literal psychopath. If Dick had not wrung that rabbit's neck, Tom would have likely sat there and watched it suffocate in its own blood while whistling his favorite song.

Dick started feeling queasy. He swayed on his feet a bit.

"Y'okay, Dickie?" Tom asked. He held up the dead rabbit and moved its head to his words. "Ya look pale." He grinned and then threw the rabbit over his shoulder carelessly. "Another round of practice?"

Dick promptly turned around and threw up.

* * *

The next day, Dick was still feeling sick. He had a bit of a fever, and he felt dizzy all the time. He had not slept a wink the night before either. He had gone through the motions of packing and getting ready for the hunt, but his heart was not in it at all.

And now, Tom was eating large amount of takeout while Dick could barely stomach a cup of tea.

"Aren't you excited, Dickie?" Tom asked. "We're finally gonna kill that bastard you've been after for so long." He laughed, spewing food everywhere. 

Dick could not even muster up the strength to pretend to smile. "I'm going to go through my stuff again," he said. 

"Whatever," Tom said, picking up the other takeout box and starting on that as well. 

Dick went into the living room and sat down on the couch. He put his head in his hands and took a few deep breaths. There was no way he was going to let Tom shoot Jason tonight. If Jason had to die, it would definitely be a painless, easy death. No one, werewolves or rabbits, deserved the torture Tom enjoyed inflicting. Dick had considered going to Jason and warning him, but since Tom had been at his cabin first thing in the morning, Dick never got the chance. 

Dick looked at the coffee table, where an array of hunting gear were laid out. He saw Tom's prized rifle, shined to perfection and the box of silver bullets that lay beside it. Instinctively, Dick reached for the single bullet in his own pocket, the metal warmed to the temperature of his body. The bullet had been carried around with him since yesterday, providing comfort and encouragement. It was so unlike the thirty-some bullets in Tom's box, each one no more than a tool of agonizing torture.

Dick squeezed his eyes shut, clutching his bullet harder in his hand. "Fuck," he whispered. "Please don't show up tonight."

But later that night, as Dick set his pack down by the tree, he could not take it anymore.

"It's going to be so awesome," Tom said excitedly. "Fuck, I just love the vantage point I get from the trees. I like shooting them right above the heart, in that- that one artery like talking about. And with every pump of their heart, their blood just gushes out like a glorious fountain," Tom laughed. "It's so funny when they howl in pain, or when they transform and beg you to just end it. You know that moment, Dickie? Eh?"

"Give me your rifle," Dick said quietly.

"Eh? My rifle?" Tom asked, blinking out of his daydream.

"Give me your fucking rifle!" Dick snapped, holding his hand out expectantly.

The night was freezing again, but Dick felt hot. His entire body was flushed with heat. Maybe it was the fever that was finally driving him crazy, but Dick had snapped. He could not take Tom's talking any longer. 

"Did you wanna see something?" Tom asked, handing it over.

Dick took the rifle and swung it at the tree - once, twice, three times - until it bent out of shape. Then he threw it on the ground. He felt much better after that.

"Ya... broke my rifle," Tom said softly. He looked up at Dick, smiling softly, his eyes void of any emotion. "Dickie, ya just broke my rifle."

Dick took a step back. "You're fucking disgusting for what you do," he said, his voice trembling the slightest. "I'm not going to sit and watch you take sick pleasure in killing him like that."

Tom laughed, stepping forward. "I don't care what ya think," he said. "Ya broke my rifle, and yer going to pay."

He lunged at Dick, a knife suddenly appearing in his hands. Dick threw himself out of the way, but his boot caught on the top of his backpack. He tripped and sprawled onto the forest floor. Tom was on top of him before Dick could stand up. His rough hands pinned down Dick's arm when he tried to punch him.

"Yer gonna pay," Tom sang in a high-pitched voice before plunging the knife down. Dick managed to shift his face out of the way, and the knife hit the forest floor. Tom picked the knife up again, but Dick swung his leg up and kicked Tom hard in the crotch. 

Tom grunted in pain, letting Dick go, but not the knife. Dick squirmed out from under him, cursing himself silently for not having a weapon on his person. He tried running, but he barely made it three steps before there was a gunshot, and Dick went down. The pain from his leg was excruciating, and his pants were soaked with blood within seconds.

Tom came lumbering over, a grin on his face. "I can't shoot a werewolf with my rifle tonight, so how about I shoot you instead?" He pointed the gun at Dick's head. Then, he laughed and put it away. "No, it's much more fun to carve 'em up when they're still alive and screaming."

The knife came down again, and Dick squeezed his eyes shut.

Out of nowhere, there was a furious growl, and Dick opened his eyes just in time to see the underbelly of a huge wolf leaping over his head, tackling Tom off of him. 

"Jason..." he breathed out weakly, the pain starting to make his vision fade. "Jason?!" It was like a bucket of cold water being tossed on top of him.

Jason had come. 

Dick pushed himself up, panicking but unable to do more than watch. Jason had tackled Tom onto the ground not too far away, and Tom was attempting to stab him, but his knife was a regular knife, so the wounds all healed quickly. Still, it made Dick feel no better at all.

"Jason, get the hell out of here!" he screamed. "That guy's a fucking psychopath! He'll kill you!"

Jason clamped his mouth around Tom's right arm and ripped the entire limb off, to Dick's absolute shock. Blood spurted from the torn limb, and Tom gave a loud scream. Jason snarled back at him, his teeth bloody and dripping. 

"Or not," Dick whispered to himself. The pain was starting to take over again. "Jason..."

Jason turned at the sound of Dick's voice, the worry in his eyes apparent. But it was all the time Tom needed. He buried his knife into Jason's neck and left it there, which theoretically would not kill him, but it made Jason completely vulnerable to attack. 

"Jason!" Dick screamed again, jarring himself out of the pain-induced daze once more.

Jason shook his head, trying to dislodge the knife, but it was buried too deep. Meanwhile, Tom crawled away, his armless side bleeding profusely. 

"Shit," Dick whispered to himself. He started dragging himself towards Jason. He reached the struggling wolf, and he used Jason's fur to pull himself into a sitting position. "Stop fucking moving!" he hissed, unable to get the knife. 

Jason stilled with a soft whine, and Dick pulled the knife from his neck. He kept his hand over the wound, as if he could will it closed. A lot of blood leaked out before the wound could close all the way, and Dick's hand was slick with Jason's blood.

Jason, on the other hand, nudged at Dick's leg with his nose.

"I'm fine," he whispered. "It's not that deep, really. It just looks like a lot of blood."

Jason growled, obviously not satisfied with the answer. But he did not get a chance to prod Dick any further. Tom had crawled to the packs, found and loaded up a gun with a bullet from his box. There was no hesitation in his shot.

The howl of pain when the bullet hit its mark was the most painful thing Dick had every heard.

He faintly heard himself screaming as well, and even fainter in the background, Tom's laughter as he bled out. 

"In the end, I still win," Tom laughed, each gasp of breath sending a more forceful gush of blood from his shoulder. "Looks like ya made a good bait in the end anyway, Dickie," he rasped. "Have fun saving your wolf now." His laughter grew louder and louder, filling the dark forest with its bone-chilling sound. 

But the sound was cut off abruptly by a clawed paw against his throat. Tom's eyes went wide when he suddenly found Jason growling above him again. 

"What? 'ow did-"

It was Dick's turn to laugh. But it was more because he was becoming delirious with the pain than because anything was actually funny. He reached into his pocket and turned it inside out. Three handfuls worth of silver bullets came tumbling out, falling onto the forest floor. "I switched them out," he said breathlessly.

"No-"

Jason snapped his neck before he could get out another word. Tom slumped, finally dead. 

The second the life faded from Tom's crazed eyes, Jason came bounding back to Dick. He lay himself on the ground, nosing at Dick's body over and over again until Dick got the hint and hauled himself onto Jason's back. 

"I think I'm gonna faint," Dick said quietly, his words lost in Jason's thick fur as the forest blurred past him. 

His arms went slack, and he tumbled off of Jason's back as he lost consciousness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not much of Jason in this chapter, I know, but I assure you, this is setting it up for a lot of Jason in the next chapter. I've written over 6k words right now, and I've spent my whole day on this already, and I want to do some other people's prompts. I'll probably finish this tomorrow!
> 
> Prompt me on [Tumblr](https://gaygent37.tumblr.com/) (either for this or anything else).


	2. The Choice

When Dick came to, he was in his cabin, lying on his bed. He groaned quietly and tried moving his leg, but it hurt like hell. Then, Jason appeared in the doorway. 

"You're awake," Jason said, at his side in an instant. He had a glass of water pressed to Dick's lips. "Drink," he said.

Dick gulped it down, the cold water doing wonders for his throat. "Are you okay?" he croaked, still remembering the sound Jason had made when he got shot. 

Jason smiled. "I'm fine, Dickiebird. I should be asking you that question. You gave me quite a scare."

"I don't feel good," Dick admitted. 

"Should I get you to a hospital?" Jason asked, looking at Dick's leg, which he had stitched up and bandaged tightly. 

"I think I'll be okay," Dick groaned. He still felt like shit. Jason took Dick's hand and pressed it to his lips for a second. Dick blushed wildly and pulled his hand away. "What are you doing?" he asked. 

"Just feeling glad that you're safe," Jason said, resting his chin on the edge of Dick's bed and smiling at him. He reminded Dick of a puppy. "I'm sorry about forcing you to work with that piece of shit."

"You didn't know," Dick mumbled. "And I'm sorry I went along with it." He hesitated a second before putting a hand on top of Jason's head. "Thanks for... saving me, Jason."

"Any day, Dickie," Jason said. He took Dick's hand again, pressing his lips to Dick's palm this time. Dick did not pull back, but he blushed and turned away. "Sleep now. I'll take care of you."

And he did take care of Dick. But he also went back to being his obnoxious self. 

"I made you breakfast, Dickiebird," Jason said, waltzing into Dick's room the next morning. "Ah, ah," he said when Dick reached for the fork to eat. "Gotta thank the chef first." He tapped his lips. 

Dick glared at him. "Thanks, but no thanks," he said. He stabbed a chocolate strawberry. 

"Is this how you treat the person who saved you yesterday?" Jason complained loudly. "I don't _have_ to be here taking care of you, you know. I could be at my office attending to my duties, not cutting strawberries into hearts and dipping them in chocolate for ungrateful-"

Dick cut him off with a hard kiss. He counted three seconds in his head and pulled back, glaring down at his plate. He quickly stuffed a heart-shaped strawberry into his mouth.

Jason smiled and went quiet for the remainder of breakfast, content in just watching Dick eat, which was even more embarrassing than if he talked. After that, Jason changed Dick's bandages, and he pretended not to see Jason's frown when he cleaned the angry wound on Dick's leg.

Lunchtime went similarly, but this time, Dick shut Jason up before he even began talking about Dick's ungratefulness. And nothing could get rid of the tingling feeling of his lips.

After lunch, Jason made them each a cup of tea, and he sat by Dick's bedside, reading to him, using voices for all the characters and sometimes even acting it out. Dick felt like a child, and he voiced that loudly, but some part of him was slightly entertained and maybe even endeared. 

By dinnertime, Dick wanted to get out of the bed already, and he yelled at Jason until Jason scooped him up and carried him to the kitchen so he could watch Jason cook. 

"You enjoy cooking," Dick noted as he watched Jason salt the stir fry with confidence.

"Yes, I do," Jason said. "It's calming."

"You're like a housewife," Dick muttered. 

Jason laughed. "Men can cook and clean too, you know."

"House... husband," Dick said, pulling a face. "But that doesn't sound right."

"You'd be lucky to have me as your house-husband," Jason said. "I don't know how you're even alive with your eating habits."

"My eating habits are fine!" Dick protested. 

"So you admit you'd be lucky to have me as your husband?" Jason asked, smirking over his shoulder. 

"I- what? I didn't say that!" Dick said. "I'm not going to marry you!"

"Then you admit to liking me," Jason said, plating the stir fry.

"I don't- Where are your assumptions even coming from?! I don't like you either," Dick grumbled. "I... put up with you."

Jason grinned and set a plate in front of Dick. "But you enjoy putting up with me so much that you went and sabotage another hunter?"

"He... He's a bad guy," Dick mumbled, picking up the fork, twirling it in his hands. "I didn't want him to shoot you."

"Because you like me."

"Because you're _mine_!" Dick snapped. 

Jason's eyebrows rose. "Oh?"

"My- my target, I meant," Dick said quickly. "Not- Not-"

"I'm flattered, Dickie," Jason smirked. "I didn't know you were so possessive. If I knew, I'd stop flirting with my secretary."

"You're flirting with your secretary?" Dick asked sharply. "Not that I care."

Jason laughed. "Such a jealous hunter. And to soothe your little heart, no, I'm not flirting with her. I'm all yours."

Dick stabbed at a piece of broccoli. "I don't care. I don't want you anyway." He lifted his fork to his mouth.

"You forgot my kiss, Dickiebird," Jason reminded. 

Dick stared at him and then set down the fork. "You'll have to come here. _Someone_ won't let me walk on my own."

"For good reason," Jason whispered.

He bent down and cupped Dick's face, slotting their lips together. At their third kiss of the day, Dick was no longer tensing up at the kisses. Jason's kiss was soft and gentle, unlike when Dick just shoved their faces together. Dick found that it actually felt pretty nice. 

Jason pulled back an inch, his eyes searching over Dick's face. 

"What?" Dick asked. 

"Nothing," Jason said with a small smile. He let go of Dick's jaw. "Enjoy the food, Dickie," he said.

Dick stared at him. "Where... Where are you going?"

"Just going to pop home and grab some stuff," Jason said. "I'll be back in twenty minutes." He smiled. "You going to miss me?"

"N-No!" Dick said quickly, blushing. "Are you... staying the night?"

Jason smiled. "Do you want me to?"

"I don't care if you do or not," Dick said. "I just wanted to know if you are."

"I could," Jason said. 

"Okay, then," Dick said, pretending to turn to his food, but it was actually to hide his blushing face.

Jason gave him one last smile before slipping out.

* * *

Over the course of the next few days, Dick's attitude towards Jason grew better. There was a lot less complaints, which only made the amount of teasing grow exponentially. But Dick did not find it driving him crazy like he thought it would. 

But Dick's leg go worse. At first, Dick refused to let Jason see it. The area around the wound was hot to the touch, and Dick thought it was nothing a cold bath could not solve. So he changed his own bandages that night, but the next morning, it got worse. His leg started swelling, and it became very painful to the touch.

Needless to say, Jason was not happy when he found out. 

"Why didn't you tell me, Dick?" he asked when he cut open Dick's bandages to see what Dick was talking about. 

"I thought it was just a small flare up of some sort," Dick said with a wince. 

"It's infected, you idiot," Jason said flatly. "We're going to the hospital."

"Fuck, _no_ ," Dick groaned as he tried shifting his leg off of the bed. He gave up. "No hospitals," he said. "I'm fine."

"It's going to get worse."

"Or it could get better," Dick said. "Just- Just lather on some antibiotic ointment like you did last time."

Jason pursed his lips but went and got the antibiotics. "If it doesn't show improvement by tomorrow, I'm taking you to the hospital," Jason said when he got back. He applied the ointment carefully, murmuring apologies whenever Dick hissed in pain. 

"I can't go to the hospital," Dick grumbled. "Hospital bills are fucking expensive, and in case you forgot, I haven't been paid yet."

"I'll take care of the bills," Jason offered.

Dick narrowed his eyes at Jason. "What are you, my mom? You've already by paying for all my living expenses for the past four months."

Jason laughed softly. "Just trying to take care of you, Dickie."

Dick blushed, his heart suddenly pounding loudly in his ears as he asked the question he had been wanting to ask for a very long time now. "Why?"

"Why am I taking care of you?"

Dick nodded. 

"Simple. I like you. I like having you around," Jason said, smiling at him.

Those smiles were starting to do strange things to Dick, like cause weird fluttering in his stomach. Dick did not like that feeling. 

"And yet you hired me to kill you."

"Well, that was before. At first I thought it would just be fun to play around with the infamous hunter Dick Grayson, but then..." Jason shrugged. "No one told me how cute you'd be."

"I'm not cute," Dick mumbled in embarrassment, slipping down on the bed. He hid his face halfway in a pillow.

"No, of course not," Jason said. "You're a tough werewolf hunter who can take care of himself, right? He doesn't need anyone to help him."

Dick blushed harder and now only the corner of his eye could be seen. Jason smiled and kissed the back of Dick's hand.

"Good night, Dickie."

"G'night," Dick mumbled back.

It was a lot easier to fall asleep thinking about Jason than thinking about the pain in his leg.

The next morning, Dick woke up in a moving car, still wearing the clothes he wore to be last night. His first thought was that he was being kidnapped. 

"Calm down, and put your seat belt back on," Jason snapped at him. "We're just going to the next town over. There's a hospital there."

"Hospital?" Dick asked, yawning and rubbing his eyes. "But-"

"No buts, Dickie. I didn't even have to open your bandages to know it got worse." Jason wrinkled his nose. "I can _smell_ it."

"Huh?"

"Your leg literally smells like its rotting, Dickiebird. I think it's high time we go get it checked out. If its really bad, I will smack you," Jason said.

Dick frowned, unsure of what to say back. He had always thought that infections would just go away with the help of some over-the-counter stuff. Then again, he had never been shot.

Suddenly, there was a gentle brush of a hand against his. Dick looked down and saw that Jason had taken his hand and given it a little squeeze. His eyes remained firmly on the road. Dick's stomach did that unpleasant fluttering thing again. 

Dick just looked out the window and refused to acknowledge it. Jason did not let go until they got to the hospital. 

Then, Jason carried him into the emergency room like a bride, despite Dick's protests. He had gotten used to Jason carrying him around like that in his cabin, but in _public?_

And as if Jason did it just to embarrass him even more, he stopped in the middle of the emergency room and said, "My boyfriend got shot. Someone please help!" The fact that Dick immediately buried his face into Jason's neck to avoid the looks of everyone in the emergency room probably just made it more believable. After all, he was helped immediately.

But Dick almost wished he had not been helped immediately. Because the news was something he never wanted to hear.

"It's infected," the doctor said gravely. 

"Is there anything you can do?" Jason asked, holding Dick's hand in both of his, playing the role of worried boyfriend to a T.

The doctor sighed heavily. "If you had come in just a day earlier, perhaps. Now... you have a couple of choices. We can give you medication and hope for the best. There is a very slim chance it will do anything good though. The infection started from deep inside your wound, so there's a good chance it has already spread pretty far."

"What's- What's the other choice?" Dick asked, squeezing Jason's hand back now because he was too tense to care. 

"Amputation. It will stop the infection for sure."

The word made Dick's stomach drop.

"In the case that the medication don't work, you'll have to get it amputated anyway. And there's a chance you'll have to amputate even more than before depending on how far the infection spread." Then the doctor tried to make it sound a little better. "There are amazing prostheses today, to where you almost can't tell," he said. "I can-"

"Doctor, can you give him a moment?" Jason asked quietly. 

The doctor nodded. "I'll be back shortly to hear your decision." Then he left the room. 

"Dickie?" Jason asked softly, kissing Dick's knuckles. "Talk to me, Dickiebird."

Dick was still stunned silent.

Jason put an arm around him and pulled Dick's head onto his shoulder. "You're gonna be okay, Dickie. You're gonna be okay."

"I don't wanna lose a leg," Dick whispered hoarsely. "I- I-"

"I know, baby," Jason said. "I don't want you to either. But you don't really have much of a choice."

"No..." Dick shook his head and squeezed Jason's hand tighter. "I- I can't. I need to be able to walk. I- I need to _run_. How the hell am I supposed to-" He took a shuddering breath, on the verge of tears.

Jason was silent for a long time. Then, he took a deep breath. "Dick, hear me out, okay? There's... another way."

"What is it?" Dick asked miserably. 

"This... This isn't how I wanted to propose this to you, _at all_ , but you could... you could always take the bite?" Jason said softly.

Dick tensed in his arms. "What?" he whispered. He sat up, looking at Jason like he was crazy. "Are you kidding me? No!"

"Okay," Jason said.

Dick continued to stare at him. 

Jason glanced back after a full minute of staring. "What?" he asked. 

"Just okay?" Dick asked. He looked down. "I thought you'd... I dunno, try to convince me."

Jason shrugged. "It's your choice, Dickiebird. It's not an easy choice to make, but... I'll support you no matter what."

"You will?" Dick asked, his voice small and hesitant. 

"Of course I will," Jason said. "If you decide to amputate, I'll carry you and run as far as you want me to."

Dick's stomach did that thing again, but this time, it made Dick smile a little. "That almost sounded like a proposal."

Jason smiled back. "Should I get on one knee and say it again?"

Dick just snorted and rolled his eyes. Then, he bit his bottom lip tightly. "What's the full moon like for you?" he asked. 

"Like freedom," Jason said. "I once ran all the way to the sea in one night. Fell asleep by the beach and took a taxi back home the next morning."

"Why?"

"I felt like it." 

"Were you born a wolf?" Dick asked. 

"No, I was changed," Jason said. "When I was a teenager."

"Hm," Dick hummed softly. "So why'd you order your pack to be killed? Was it because you wanted the whole town under your control?"

Jason sighed. "Partially, I suppose. They were also a fucked-up group of people. I think they would've gotten along quite nicely with that piece of shit hunter."

"Oh," Dick said.

"Dickie, can I ask you a question?"

"Yeah?"

"Why did you become a werewolf hunter?"

He was silent for a long time. "My brother died," he whispered. "He was bitten as a teenager too. But the bite killed him."

"I didn't know that," Jason said. "I'm really sorry about that. I understand why you don't want to take the bite then."

"Is there such thing as good werewolves, Jason?" Dick asked. 

"I think so," Jason said. "Werewolves are people too. They're just different on one night every month. Do you think I'm a bad werewolf?"

Dick did not answer. 

"Oh."

"No," Dick finally said. He leaned his head back onto Jason's shoulder. His stomach fluttered again. "I think you're a good person, so you must be a good werewolf too, right?"

Jason smiled, and the fluttering feeling grew in intensity. "I hope so," Jason answered. 

They lapsed into silence again. Finally, Dick spoke. 

"Jay?"

"Yeah, Dickie?"

"The bite... it won't mean that we're, um, _that_... right?"

"Mated?" Jason guessed. 

Dick bit his lower lip and nodded.

"No, that's a different bite," Jason said. "I would never do that without your consent."

Dick took a very long deep breath. "I guess... you biting me is the best choice I have."

"Really?!" Jason asked, unable to mask his surprise. 

Dick nodded solemnly. "And... I was thinking... I'd like to run to the sea with you someday."

And damn, Jason's smile those words made the fluttering go crazy.

* * *

"The bite's going to hurt like hell," Jason warned. 

"Then get it fucking over with," Dick said, gritting his teeth and waiting. 

Jason scoffed, carrying Dick into his bedroom. "I'm not going to just _bite_ you and have you screaming and crying. I'm going to try to make it as painless as possible."

Dick looked doubtful. "And how are you going to do that?" he asked as Jason lowered him onto his bed. 

"Glad you asked, Dickiebird," Jason said. He tugged at the hem of Dick's shirt, lifting it. "I'm going to make you feel good first."

When he kissed Dick, opened-mouthed, wet, and wanting, Dick moaned his approval. Even though his leg was screaming at him for it, Dick's cock was starting to stiffen at what was to come. Jason only broke the kiss to pull Dick's shirt over his head.

"You didn't rip my clothes this time," Dick said with an approving smile.

"I could, if you prefer it that way," Jason grinned back.

Dick's smile warped into a frown. "No!"

Jason just kissed him again, wiping the frown off of Dick's face in an instant. Dick's own hands slipped up Jason's shirt, feeling his way up the toned abs and the broad shoulders. His unhurt leg was wrapped around Jason's waist, pulling him closer. 

"Well, aren't you responsive today?" Jason said, shucking his shirt off. "Eager for me to fuck you so hard you can do no more than scream my name?"

Dick scoffed. "As if. Just wanna get it over with."

"If you say so," Jason murmured, kissing his way down Dick's neck.

He sucked hard at a particularly sensitive spot on Dick's neck, biting gently and nipping at the soft skin. He loved the sight of the blooming red that was left behind. He had a feeling Dick enjoyed being marked up as well, if the soft moans and the hand in his hair was anything to go by. He continued to suck on Dick's neck while he unbuttoned his pants and started pulling them down. 

His hard cock sprang out, always standing at attention whenever Dick showed a bit of skin. "If it were up to me, you'd be walking around naked all the time," he growled in Dick's ear. "So fucking beautiful." He pressed his hard length against Dick's and took them into his hand, stroking the both of them slowly.

"Jason..." Dick hissed, arching slightly at the touch. "What the hell are you on about now?"

Jason smiled against Dick's skin. "Just voicing my thoughts." He thrust his hips forward, letting Dick feel the slide of his thick cock against Dick's own.

"Keep- Keep your thoughts to yourself," Dick gasped out. _"Fuck!_ I don't- I don't need to hear them."

Jason licked along Dick's jaw before capturing Dick's lips again. The kiss burned with need, from both of them, and when Dick moaned, Jason took the chance to kiss him even deeper. He stretched over to Dick's bedside table and tried grabbing the lube without breaking the kiss. Not that it was entirely possible, seeing that Dick was pulling him down as much as Jason was pressing against him. Thankfully, Jason managed to find the lube and uncap it with his hand. 

"How do you even know where my lube is?" Dick asked. "That's weird and creepy."

Jason slicked up his fingers and slid one inside of Dick, immediately pressing against Dick's prostate to make the man moan and arch. "Well, I thought it would be even more creepy to watch you when you were unconscious, so I took to organizing the stuff in your table. You had some cute pictures."

"Oh my god," Dick groaned, half in pleasure, half in embarrassment. His bedside table were where he kept the embarrassing photos he was too sentimental to throw away because they were reminiscent of good times.

Jason slid another finger inside, pumping them hard and fast, crooking them to hit Dick's spot every single time.

Dick whined, shaking his head. "Jay..." he panted. "'s not enough. I need-"

"Not yet, birdie," Jason said soothingly, placing a kiss on Dick's navel. "I want you to cum on my fingers first."

"But I want-" Dick blushed and hid his face, moaning again. His cock was hard and leaking. "Please, Jay... I- I- I need your..." The rest of his words were mumbled and his face flushed redder than ever before.

"Words, Dickie," Jason said. "Tell me what you need." He added another finger, and Dick's hole clenched down around Jason's fingers tightly. "What does your needy hole want, Dickiebird?"

Dick shook his head, whining again. 

"Guess my fingers will have to do then," Jason said. He stopped fucking Dick and just took to rubbing slow circles on Dick's prostate. 

"I need you to fuck me, okay?! Just give me your fucking cock so I can cum on your fucking knot, you fucking bastard!" Dick shouted angrily. 

"That's not a very nice way to ask for things you want, Dickie," Jason said. 

Dick grabbed a pillow and shoved it over his face. "It's _your_ fault I'm like this," he said, his voice muffled by the pillow. "You should... take responsibility."

Jason grinned. "Well, I do pride myself to be very responsible," he said. "I guess I should take responsibility, shouldn't I?"

He wrapped his free hand around Dick's leaking cock and started pumping it at ridiculous pace. He resumed the same punishing pace with his fingers inside of Dick's hole. Dick cried out and arched up, jolting his leg, but it felt too good for him to pay much attention to it. 

"Hey, don't get too excited now," Jason said. "I'll have to stop if you get hurt."

"Don't stop! Don't stop!" Dick groaned, trying not to buck his hips. "Shit, _Jason!"_ Dick came, ropes of white cum spurting from his cock in a magnificent arc and splattering onto his chest.

"That's it, baby, scream my name," Jason said, slowing his pace before finally taking his fingers out of Dick and let go of his spent cock. He used a finger and scooped up the cum on Dick's heaving torso and brought it to his mouth. "You taste good, Dickiebird," he murmured. 

Dick tossed the pillow aside, pouting. "I told you I wanted to cum on your _mmph-_ " His words were cut off by Jason's lips and tongue, pushing some of his own cum into his mouth. Dick moaned weakly, tasting himself in Jason's mouth. It made him feel dizzy and weak and so fucking turned on. 

Jason pulled away with a grin. "I knew you could do it, baby," he said. "Now I'm going to reward you with the knot you wanted so badly."

"I just came, Jason-"

Jason hiked up Dick's good leg and thrust himself into the well-stretched hole. "So fucking tight for me, Dickie," he groaned. "So ready to take my knot, aren't you?"

Dick was stretched so nicely and fully around Jason's cock. It felt so much more fulfilling than Jason's fingers had. So much more _right_. The thought made Dick a bit annoyed because it that sounded like he had literally be shaped to take Jason's cock, and nothing else would suffice. And that was probably true, but Dick would never admit it. But even so, his cock was already rising rapidly in interest. 

Jason noticed it too. "Look at you, so fucking eager." He thrust particularly hard, and Dick's cock twitched. Jason smirked. He leaned over and kissed Dick hard again, all the while speeding up from languid thrusting to really pounding him. 

Dick squeezed his eyes shut as the pleasure started pooling in his gut again, spreading throughout his entire body. He felt warm, so warm the heat burned him deliciously from the inside. When Jason's knot started to swell, and Dick's hole was forced to accommodate, the heat and pleasure was starting to make him desperate. He wanted Jason's knot, and he wanted it badly. 

"Knot..." he panted. "I- I want-"

"I'm going to fucking _breed_ you like you deserve, Dickie," Jason growled in his ear. "Breed you and plug you up all full and warm under me. Gonna fill you up so much you can taste me."

"Oh, fuck-" Dick moaned, shivering delightfully at the dirty promises that fell from Jason's lips. He loved it, but that was another thing he would never admit. "Jason... Jason... Jay...!"

"C'mon, Dickie. Show me what you need my knot for!" Jason's knot squeezed out of him one last time, and when Jason slammed it back inside of Dick, Dick came with a scream.

"Jason!" he wailed, tears welling up in his eyes from how hard he came.

The pleasure peaked and wracked through him in huge waves, hitting him hard. At that same time, Jason bit down on his shoulder, hard. Dick screamed again, the pain colliding with the pleasure, but instead of canceling it out, it heightened it in a strange way. Dick came harder than ever in his whole life, his entire body shaking. At few seconds later, Jason unlatched himself, his mouth bloody. 

"Sorry, sorry, I'm so sorry, Dickie," Jason murmured, mistaking the scream for a scream of pain. He wrapped his arms around Dick's heaving body and whispering soothing words into Dick's ear. "It'll be over soon, shh... You'll heal quickly, it's okay, Dickiebird."

It took a minute before Dick got a semblance of a grasp on reality. He swallowed hard, his throat dry and scratchy. "I'm not a baby, Jason," he rasped out. "I'm- I'm fine." He weakly tried pushing Jason off of him, but he could not even budge the other man. 

Jason held him like that for a very long time. Dick's protests fell on deaf ears, and Jason continued to murmur sweet nothings to Dick. Finally, he pulled back a bit, looking at the bite mark on Dick's shoulder. 

"Does it hurt?" he whispered into Dick's ear, running a finger over it.

"Of course it fucking hurts," Dick said with a roll of his eyes, even though Jason could not see it. "Nothing I can't handle though. It's not as bad as the leg."

"Does your leg still hurt?" Jason asked. 

"Not as much as before," Dick admitted. But maybe it was because he was still tingling from his overwhelming orgasm. "Can you get off of me now?"

"Not yet," Jason said. 

Dick groaned. "Why not? You're heavy and I can't breathe."

Still, Jason did not move. "I gotta wait until my knot goes down," he said. "I... probably look pretty scary right now. Blood everywhere."

Dick was silent for a second. Then, he started laughing. "If someone walked in right now, they'd think you're a vampire, wouldn't they?"

Jason cracked a small smile. "Perhaps. Do you want someone to walk in, Dickie? I could arrange that easily-"

"That wasn't the point, Jason!" Dick said, smacking Jason on the back.

"I know," Jason said. "It's just fun to tease you."

"Fuck you," Dick groaned.

Jason just smiled and resisted giving Dick a kiss. He tugged experimentally and found that his knot had gone down enough to pull out of Dick. He slowly eased himself out, feeling the gush of cum that followed his exit. 

Dick gave a tiny moan at the feeling, clenching down on nothing after being stretched so wide. 

"Alright, I'm going to go clean up," Jason said. He brought a hand up, covering the lower half of his face. Finally, he got up and quickly ducked into the bathroom before Dick could catch a glance at his face. When Jason came out, he was completely free of any specks of blood. "I ran you a bath," he said, gesturing to the bathroom. "Think you can walk now?"

Dick had almost forgotten about his leg. He pushed himself up, squeezing more cum out of him, and slowly peeled away the bandages. The flesh had healed itself almost completely. All that was left was bump of raised skin that was still red.

"It's almost completely healed," he said in awe.

Jason smiled. "Here, let's cut the stitches out and get you into the bath, okay?"

Dick sat there patiently while Jason gently cut each of the stitches, kissing the healed wound each time a stitch came out. Then, he quickly cleaned the area and scooped Dick up. 

"Hey, I can walk now!" Dick yelped as he was lifted off of the bed. 

"And I'm still perfectly capable of carrying you, so I don't see a reason why I shouldn't," Jason said. He bumped open the bathroom door and gently lowered Dick into the bathtub. "Water okay?"

"Yeah," Dick said with a light blush. "Um, thanks."

Jason just smiled and kissed his forehead. Then, he left the bathroom to clean up.

Dick sighed and relaxed into the bath. He ran his hands over the top of the soapy water, the reality of the situation finally setting in. He had been bitten. During the next full moon, he would have to transform, like Jason does.

The idea made Dick feel sick. He could not quell the fear that the same thing that happened to Tim would happen to him as well. And even if Dick did survive his first full moon, what then? He very well could not be a werewolf hunter anymore. 

Dick let out a shaky breath and slowly sank under the water. He lay there for almost a minute, until his lungs were burning for air before resurfacing, gasping for breath. Yeah, it was very real. 

Dick wondered what he could do to support himself now, where he would go, who he could rely on. Dick had a feeling that Jason would not mind him staying for a bit, but what about beyond that? How will he support himself when all he has is his hunting skill set? And what if hunters started hunting _him?_

Was keeping his leg really worth it?

Dick almost felt like crying. Now that the inevitable had happened, Dick felt lost and regretful. He curled up in the bath, drawing his legs up to his chest. Then, a knock on the bathroom door pulled Dick out of his self-pity session. 

"You okay, Dickiebird?" Jason called through the door. "Did you fall asleep in there?"

"No," he said back. "Getting out now." He stood up and pulled the stopper in the bath. He quickly rinsed himself off and then stepped out of the bathroom, a towel around his waist. 

He found Jason fluffing the blankets and laying it down on the bed. "What's wrong?" Jason asked, immediately noticing that something was off.

Dick just shook his head. He snagged a pair of briefs from his dresser and pulled them on. Then, he threw the towel on the ground and crawled into bed. He pulled the covers all the way up to his nose. 

Jason picked up the discarded towel and folded it up onto Dick's dressed. Then, he knelt by Dick's bedside.

"You okay?" he asked softly. "Does something hurt? Do you feel dizzy?"

"I just... I don't know what to do anymore," Dick whispered. "Hunting's my whole life. And now... it's over?"

"Don't think like that, Dickie," Jason said. "If you really want, you're free to keep hunting me until you succeed?"

"Then I'd be a hypocrite, wouldn't I?" Dick asked. "And it wouldn't be a very proper way to show my gratitude."

"You don't have to thank me for something you don't like," Jason told him. "It wouldn't mean anything."

"But you've saved me twice now," Dick grunted, rolling onto his side to face Jason. His stomach did the almost pleasant fluttering thing again when Dick realized how close they were. "I couldn't hunt you," he whispered.

"Oh, Dickie," Jason said with a small smile. "Think about it this way. I like when you try to hunt me. It's fun for me, and you like it because it's your job. Isn't that a win-win situation?"

"But-"

"Just know, if it made you happy, I'd let you hunt me to the ends of the earth," Jason whispered, leaning in and kissing the tip of Dick's nose. 

Dick's nose wrinkled. Jason's words always had such strange meanings behind them. It sounded romantic and flirty, but... almost kind of _sad_. It was always hard to get what Jason really meant. "What are you talking about?" he asked. 

Jason laughed softly. "Nothing, Dickie," he said. He stood up. "Try to get some sleep before the dizziness sets in, okay? It's best to sleep through the nauseousness." He turned off the lamp and started for the door. 

"Jason."

"Yeah, birdie?"

"Will you... stay tonight?" Dick mumbled shyly. 

"I'll be in the living room," Jason said. 

"No, I meant... here," Dick said, even more quietly. "With me."

"You want me to stay here with you?" Jason clarified.

"Just- Just in case anything happens," Dick explained quickly. 

Jason turned back around. "Of course, Dickiebird. Nothing will happen as long as I'm here."

* * *

The next morning, Jason left during breakfast to go grab something from his house. He returned when Dick was halfway through his stack of pancakes.

Jason set a stoppered glass vial on the kitchen table by Dick's plate. He said nothing, sat down across from Dick, and just stared at him. 

"Cryptic," Dick said, slowing his chewing. He swallowed and picked up the vial. It had a bit of dark, indigo liquid inside. "What is it?" he asked, eyeing Jason. "Poison?"

"Aconitum extract," Jason said. "From the aconitum flower. Also known as-"

"Wolf's bane," Dick finished. 

Jason nodded. "It's the purest form you can find it."

"Isn't this like poison to werewolves?"

"If used in certain ways," Jason said, picking up an apple from the middle of the table. He casually broke the apple in half with his hands and offered half to Dick, who shook his head. Jason shrugged and took a large bite. "It can also be used in other ways, such as reversing the change within half a day of the bite."

"You mean-"

"Yup," Jason said. "Think morning after pill, but to prevent the change instead of pregnancy."

Dick gritted his teeth. "And you didn't think to tell me this before? If I knew it could be reversed, maybe I wouldn't have had such a difficult time making the decision! I was reevaluating my whole life, Jason! You fucking asshole, I was going to quit hunting and be a- be a- something that doesn't involve hunting werewolves!"

Jason smirked. "And miss out on the heart-to-heart we had?" Dick was not amused. "Oh, please, birdie. I wouldn't let you do something you'd _actually_ regret. I had a backup plan all along."

"Too late for that," Dick huffed. "I'm been regretting ever even coming to this town!" He leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms. He glared at Jason until Jason finished his apple. "How do I use the extract?" he grumbled quietly.

"Just drink about a teaspoon of it. You can mix it with something though. Just not milk. Don't know why, but milk neutralizes the properties of aconitum extract," Jason said. "You should hurry though. There's a 90% of it working for another... hour and a half."

Dick glared at him again and went to his fridge. He grabbed the orange juice and poured himself a generous glass. Then, he grabbed a metal spoon, poured out about half of the vial's liquid and stared Jason down again.

"This better not be another trick, Jason."

"Cross my heart, Dickie."

The extract was bitter, and the taste burned up Dick's nose like he had eaten a spoonful of wasabi instead. His tongue felt like it had curled up and dried, and Dick shivered violently. He immediately reached for the juice, gulping down the entire glass. The dry tongue feeling still lingered, but the burning subsided with the juice. 

"How do I know it worked?" Dick asked. 

Jason smiled and shrugged. "You'll have to wait for the full moon. There are most likely some lingering effects because you already experienced a change, but there are no other real symptoms for lycanthropy other than on the full moon."

"Have you ever taken this?" Dick asked, staring at what remained in the vial.

Jason snorted. "Never got a chance to," he said. "As far as I know, that one vial of aconitum extract was guarded by my former pack for close to a century. They weren't going to spare it for some scrawny teenage nobody." Jason's expression became thoughtful. "The leader of the pack used to boast about all the scars he'd gotten from fights with other packs over that vial. Don't know if it was true or not though."

Dick blinked at Jason. "Wait, exactly _how_ rare is this stuff?" Dick asked, feeling mildly horrified that he just downed the half the vial without thinking.

"Depends on the purity," Jason said. "What you drank probably costs somewhere around a five grand. It probably took ten-some years to purify that much. And barely anyone knows the secret behind aconitum purification anymore."

"This was fucking five thousand dollars?!" Dick screeched, shaking the vial. He felt his stomach turn. Even if he were a billionaire, he would think twice before gulping down a tiny mouthful of liquid that expensive.

"Per half an ounce," Jason nodded. "So more like thirty thou-"

"And you just let me _drink_ it like that?!"

"I don't exactly have much of a use for it, do I?" Jason laughed. 

"You could've- You could've _sold_ it?"

Jason shook his head, smiling. "Why are you so worked up about this, Dickie?"

Dick fumbled with the vial, staring at what was left of the purple liquid. His heart started pounding loudly in his chest again. He was sure that Jason could hear it. "Why... Why do I feel like you do so much for me?" he mumbled.

Jason smiled. "Just because I want to, Dickie." He stretched, his arms reaching up, muscles flexing under his tanned skin. Dick watched, his throat bobbing at the movement. Jason's smile grew a little smaller. "I have to admit, I was hoping you'd actually run to the ocean with me though."

Dick blushed. "It's not like... we can't..."

Jason hummed quietly, not as excited as Dick thought he would be. He had a faraway look in his eyes. "Then maybe we should go during the next full moon. There's this hidden cove I wanted to show you." Jason's eyes refocused on Dick. "I've been imagining fucking you there, under the moon at the edge of the world. No one but us and the winds of possibility."

Dick made a face at the crude yet poetic sentence that just came out of Jason's mouth. But his stomach also fluttered at the promise. Dick was starting to get used to that feeling. Unsure of what to say or feel, Dick sputtered, "What the fuck is with you and having sex outside?!"

Jason just laughed and gave him a wink.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just bringing back the lighthearted atmosphere at the end. 
> 
> This prompt ended up so much longer than I was anticipating, and they're still fucking while not together, Dick's still kind of in denial about his feelings, and Jason's still being an asshole (but it's so painful to write him because he's also so stupidly in love with Dick. It physically hurts me). What else is new?
> 
> Not sure when I'll do the next part, but stay tuned because there's a more coming.


End file.
